Colorblind
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: When Tim and Ziva find themselves the guardians of a blind six-year-old girl, they have no choice but to adjust to sudden parenthood, and soon find themselves beginning to look at the world with different eyes. Established McGiva.
1. Chapter 1

**Colorblind**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**************Summary: When Tim and Ziva find themselves the guardians of a blind six-year-old girl, they have no choice but to adjust to sudden parenthood, and soon find themselves beginning to look at the world with different eyes. Established McGiva.**

The leaves fluttered down around them, bathing the small hamlet of Georgetown in beautiful shades of gold, red and orange. They walked arm-in-arm, coats on and buttoned, gloves over their fingers and boots on. Cups of warm coffee or cider warmed their gloved hands, and they talked and laughed as the German Shepard trotted along beside them, following his master and mistress as they returned from the dog park. "Well, I think-"

The words died on his lips as they came upon the townhouse he and Ziva had bought not long after their six-month anniversary. With their relationship out to Gibbs and the rest of the team- and kept out of the office- Tim and Ziva had decided that shuffling from apartment to apartment wasn't working anymore, and so went house hunting one weekend during their time off. They found the small brownstone, tucked away in east Georgetown, near a coffee shop and a dog park that soon became their local haunts. The townhouse was small, only two stories, but big enough for a young couple firm in their relationship. Now, though, Tim let go of Ziva, surprise on his face.

"Tim? What's wrong?" Ziva followed, Jethro behind her as they came upon the steps of their home, only to stop at the sight of Gibbs standing on their stoop, a cup of coffee in his hands. "Gibbs? What... what are you doing here?" She slipped her arm through Tim's, squeezing his bicep as Gibbs glanced from her to Tim.

"I need you to come in to the office, McGee." Tim furrowed a brow.

"And you... couldn't have_ called_ to tell me this?" He asked, as Jethro woofed and bounded up the stairs towards Gibbs, who gave the dog a quick pat on the head and then turned to his youngest agents.

"Not for something this important." The pair shared a glance, curious as to what had Gibbs so on edge.

* * *

Tony, Abby and Ducky all looked up as Tim and Ziva entered following Gibbs. "So what is so urgent, Boss, that you couldn't call me and-" But Tim stopped, as Abby and Tony backed up, revealing a child sitting by Gibbs' desk. Slowly, the child got up, reaching out, her small hands searching urgently for some hold. Tony took her small hand, and she moved forward, pulling away and stumbling towards the couple.

"Uncle Tim?" She grasped wildly for him, and he instinctively reached out, taking her hand; she moved closer, stumbling into him and finally wrapping her arms around him. The others on Gibbs' team watched in shock as he slowly knelt down and examined her. As he looked into her face, staring into her dark eyes, he saw someone he thought he'd never see again.

"Jace-" He choked on a sob, suddenly realizing why Gibbs had come and gotten him instead of calling. Jace McKenna had been Tim's childhood best friend; he was still Tim's best friend. Tim had stood as Jace's best man at his wedding, hell, he wanted Jace to stand as his best man at his own wedding when he and Ziva did finally tie the knot. It was Tim that had introduced Jace to his wife Tina, and it was Tim who was the godfather to their daughter, Mychal. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat, giving the child a small smile as he whispered, "The last time I saw you, you were learning to walk, Mycha." She reached up, brushing her small fingers over his face, even as he pressed a soft kiss to her palm. "How did you get here, sweetie?"

"I believe I can answer that, Timothy." The agent turned towards Ducky, who stepped forward. "Her father's body was dumped on the front lawn of NCIS Headquarters; a Captain Jace-"

"McKenna." Tim finished, tears misting his green eyes as he began to put the pieces together. "But that doesn't explain how-"

"They left me with Daddy." Mychal said, tilting her head towards Tim. He turned his gaze back to the girl.

"Oh, God. Mycha, sweetie, I'm so sorry." She brushed her fingers over his cheeks, brushing away the tears slipping down his face. "Mychal, honey, where's Mama?" She swallowed.

"Mama was killed in a car crash a couple days ago..." Her lower lip began to quiver. "I was with Daddy, at lunch, and someone grabbed us when we left the restaurant. The man threw me in the trunk and... and killed Daddy, and then next thing I knew, we were on the grass, and Daddy was... was dead, and... and I was in here... they said they would find you..." The child broke down, the realization of what had happened sinking in, and she wrapped her arms around Tim, who held her close.

"Shh. It's okay, Mycha, I'm here. I'm right here." He pressed a kiss to her temple and stood, turning to go to his desk when he nearly slammed into Director Shepard. "I'm so sorry, Director, I didn't see you-" Jenny nodded, eyes going to the child in his arms.

"My office, Agent McGee, please." Tim nodded, shifting the girl onto his hip, before following. Once they were gone, Ziva turned to the others.

"Will someone_ please_ tell me what is going on?" Gibbs glanced at the others, before handing over the file they'd hastily gathered on Captain McKenna.

"Naval Captain Jace McKenna, age twenty-eight. Married Tina Foster out of high school, and had Mychal Elizabeth in April, two-thousand." She looked up at Gibbs. "What does this have to do with Tim knowing the child?"

"McGee is that little girl's godfather, Ziver." Gibbs whispered.

* * *

"Agent McGee, do you mind telling me exactly what your connection to this case is?" Tim sighed, glancing back at Mychal, before turning back to Jenny. He swallowed.

"With all do respect, Director, if you think my connection to solving this case is going to jeopardize it in any way, I can assure you, it won't."

"Then I will let you remain, but not if you don't tell me what your connection_ is_, Agent McGee."

"Mychal is my goddaughter. Jace McKenna was my best friend, when we were growing up; I stood as his best friend at his wedding. He didn't have any siblings, and Tina's relatives died in Oklahoma City. I am listed as Jace and Tina's next of kin, and were anything to happen to either of them, Mychal was to be left in my care. And that is what I intend to do. And I can start by catching the man who killed her father."

Jenny listened, glancing from Tim to the child and back, before she nodded. "Very well, but if I hear from Agent Gibbs-"

"You won't, Director. I can assure you."

* * *

Everyone looked up as Tim returned to the bullpen, Mychal held tight in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, her dark eyes moving restlessly back and forth, not focusing on anything or anyone because they couldn't. A moment passed, before Tony asked,

"Would you like to go downstairs and see Abby's lab, kiddo? She has some-"

"She can't, Tony." The senior agent raised an eyebrow, turning to Tim.

"Well, you've fallen into the role of father pretty fast, haven't you, McDaddy?" Gibbs smacked Tony on the back of the head, causing the younger man to yelp in shock.

"Uncalled for, DiNozzo."

"Mycha can't, because she can't _see_, Tony. She's blind." He glanced down at the child, who snuggled closer. "She was born blind..."

"But I can hear, Uncle Tim, and I can feel." She whispered, reaching up and moving her fingers over his lips. He pressed a fleeting kiss to her small fingers, making her giggle softly, before moving her fingers over his hair, even as he set her on her feet. She clung to him, fingers moving over the badge on his belt. Confusion knit her brow, as she pulled at it, removing it from his belt and opening it. "What's this?" He sighed, kneeling down to take it from her.

"This, is my badge, it tells people that I'm a federal NCIS agent. I catch bad people who hurt people in the military-"

"Like Daddy." He nodded.

"Yes. And I promise you, Mychal, that I will catch your Daddy's killer. I promise you, I will catch him."

"What about me?"

_"If anything happens to Ti and I, Tim, promise you'll look after Mychal. You're her godfather, after all, it's your duty to protect her if Tina and I can't."_

As his best friend's words sounded in his head, he nodded.

"I will take care of you, Mycha, because I promised your daddy I would. I'm your godfather, it's my duty to protect you. And I will. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Sazzita, JonnyP86, torontogirl12, puppypants, Crawcolady, Reader, mcgeeksgirl, Girl with a pink flying carpet and Tiva-McAbby-Densi-Neric-4ever for reviewing 1.**

"Tim, _how_ exactly do you propose we take care of your goddaughter?" Tim sighed, meeting Ziva's gaze in the bathroom mirror. He knew that would be the first thing she latched onto; not if they were ready to be substitute parents, not if they should take Mychal in, not if they still belonged together, no, the first thing Ziva latched onto was how they were going to take care of Mychal. Frankly, if it had been Tim asking, he'd have asked if they were ready to be parents- even temporary.

He leaned on the sink counter, taking a deep breath. "I don't know, all right? But_ I_ will figure something out."

"_I_?" Even if she hadn't been trained by Mossad, Ziva would have picked up on the singularity in an instant. In her case, though, she just happened it pick up on it after the word left his mouth.

"Yes, Ziva, I. _I_ will figure out the best way to care for her,_ I_ will make sure everything is provided for her, _I_ will raise her, because Mychal is _my goddaughter_!" He snapped, moving away from the sink and going to the door, but she blocked his path.

"And_ I_ am your girlfriend, Tim. We are in this together."

"Really? Because all you've done is shy away from Mycha from the moment you met her." He replied, moving her out of the way and leaving the bathroom. Ziva groaned in annoyance, grabbing the door as it shut slowly, and followed, catching up to him in the hall on the way back to the bullpen.

_"Tim! Timothy! Timothy McGee, will you listen to me?"_ He turned on her, the _bottom of his coat whirling around him._

_"What?" _He snapped, causing everyone else in the bullpen to turn to the couple._ "What is it, Ziva? You have already made it perfectly clear that you aren't ready for parenthood! Well, I'm sorry if you aren't, but I am! I love Mycha, and I would do anything and everything for that child, because her parents meant the world to me! Jace wasn't only my best friend, he was the closest thing to a brother I had! And now, thanks to some psycho running around, he and Tina are gone! They're gone!_ _But Mychal is still here! And I am going to do my damnedest to catch the person who killed them, and if that means adopting her to keep her safe while I hunt for their killer, then I will! Whether or not you approve!"_

_"Tim, we can't take care of a child, especially a child with special... with no eye sight! How do you suggest we care for her, raise her? You cannot possibly consider raising her!"_

A moment passed, before he swallowed, and in the calmest and softest voice Ziva had ever heard, he whispered, "I love you, Ziva, but I won't give up Mycha to make you happy, I'm sorry, but I can't. I_ won't_. And if you can't accept that, then..." He shrugged, and then turned, going back into the bullpen and making his way towards the child in question. "Come on, sweetie, I'll take you home." He scooped her up, turning to Gibbs with a small smile. Then, without a second glance Ziva's way, he left.

* * *

He watched Mychal, curled up on the sofa, sleeping soundly with the TV on softly in the background. Dinner had been quiet; he'd called Gibbs and apologized for storming out of the office, but that he hadn't wanted to be anywhere but at home with Mychal, catching up on the six years he'd missed being in her life. He hadn't seen Ziva after leaving the office; on a subconscious level, he knew that he'd hurt her- there was a side to her that most people didn't see.

Tim sighed; he couldn't believe she'd given up on two years of their relationship, all because she didn't like kids. Or maybe she was just scared, maybe she wasn't ready, either way, it didn't justify her giving up on them. They belonged together, or so he'd always thought-

A knock on the door brought him from his thoughts, and he sighed, leaving the kitchen and going to the front door, to find Ziva waiting for him. "Can I come in?" A moment passed, before he stepped back, closing the door once she was inside. He led her into the kitchen, pouring her a cup of tea as she took a seat at the table. "I went for a walk, clear my bed, I believe you Americans call it."

"Clear your head." He corrected automatically. She nodded, filing the information away for further use later.

"Stopped by and talked to Gibbs; he basically told me I was being an idiot, and to come talk to you." She swallowed, as he took a seat across from her, setting the cup in front of her. "I meant what I said earlier, Tim. We are in this together. But..." She bit her lip. "But we cannot raise your goddaughter- we don't know what she needs or anything about her-"

"I know Mycha, Zi-"

"You said you hadn't seen her in years, Tim. Why?" He sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat, surprised that she had asked the question right out of the gate. A moment passed, before he got up, going to the sink and leaning against it.

"Jace and I... we had a pretty bad falling out, not long before Mycha turned a year old. A... stupid argument about... my leaving NCIS and joining the Navy; I'd looked into NCIS before I ever joined the team, and actually, directly out of college, I passed the FLECT test and joined the Naval Base team at Norfolk. My father had always wanted me to join the Navy, and he told me that he'd never been more disappointed than when I didn't. You know, I don't even really remember what the whole argument with Jace was about... I just remember storming out and... and never seeing any of them again." He turned back to Ziva, who had gotten up and moved around the table towards him. "But I got a call, from Jace, a few years ago, asking me to promise that if anything happened to them, that I would raise Mycha. _I just never thought it would be so soon. She's all I have left of Jace and Tina..."_

She went to him, wrapping him in her arms and holding him close. Suddenly, all her fears about raising a child seemed silly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to torontogirl12, Girl with a pink flying carpet and Tiva-McAbby-Densi-Neric-4ever for reviewing 2. **

Eventually, she pulled away, staring into his green eyes. "I am sorry, I just... I was... I... we have never talked about...and I just... I do not think I would be very good with children." He sniffled, chuckling softly.

"You'll be wonderful with kids, Ziva. You are wonderful with kids. The few cases we've had that deal with children show just how wonderful you are." She swallowed.

"But what about-"

"Uncle Tim?" He turned, pulling away from her and making his way into the living room, where Mycha was sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Ziva followed, stopping in the middle of the room as Tim turned the TV off and took a seat beside the child on the sofa. He reached out, taking her hand, softly letting her know that he was there.

"You finally wake up, sleepy head? You were out for quite a while." She leaned into him, laying her head on his chest.

"I woke up and you weren't here."

"I was just in the kitchen, sweetie. With Ziva." It was then that the child tilted her head up towards him.

"Who's Ziva?" His green eyes darted towards the woman in question, and after a moment, he gestured for her to join them on the sofa. Slowly, cautiously, Ziva went to them, perching beside Tim. Taking her hand, Tim turned back to Mycha, speaking softly.

"Ziva is my partner- both at work and at home." He glanced at her, and she gave him a tiny, nervous smile.

"So... your girlfriend, Uncle Tim?" He nodded, squeezing Ziva's hand as he pressed a kiss to Mychal's head.

"Yes, Mycha, my girlfriend." The child's mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise, and Tim chuckled softly, glancing at Ziva. A moment passed, before the girl climbed onto Tim's lap and reached out, brushing her small fingers over Ziva's face. The Israeli moved to get away, but Tim refused to let go, squeezing her hand firmly, telling her silently that it was okay. Slowly, Ziva felt herself relax, and after a moment, she felt Mychal's small fingers begin to move over her face. They brushed over her eyes, her cheeks and down the bridge of her nose, across her jaw, and traced her lips, before moving to feel her hair.

"What does she look like, Uncle Tim?" He bit his lip, glancing at Ziva before turning back to his goddaughter.

"Well, Ziva has lots of curly dark hair, and dark eyes, like yours, and high cheekbones-"

"Her apples are on the high branches?" Mycha asked, brushing her fingers over Ziva's cheeks. Tim chuckled and nodded. It was something Jace had taught her, Mycha had told him, and helped her understand facial features better.

"Exactly." Tim replied, pressing a kiss to her head. "And she has a small, slightly upturned nose."

"She sounds beautiful, Uncle Tim." He chuckled, glancing at Ziva with a soft smile. Turning back to Mychal, he whispered,

"She is beautiful, Mycha. Very, very beautiful." He squeezed Ziva's hand, giving her a bigger smile, before pressing another kiss to Mychal's head. "And so are you." The trio sat in silence for several minutes, before the child turned towards Tim and asked,

"Are you going to marry her, Uncle Tim?"

* * *

Gibbs looked up the next morning to see Tim and Ziva enter, Mychal holding tight to the junior agent's hand. As usual, Tony was always the last to arrive.

Ziva held Tim's other hand, glancing towards the child every once and a while. "Morning Boss." Gibbs gave them a soft smile, watching as Tim gently pushed the child towards his desk. He then turned to Ziva, squeezing her hand and pressing a soft kiss to her lips before joining pulling away, feeling Gibbs' stare on them. "Sorry Boss." He quickly joined Mychal, scooping her up and settling her on his lap as he took a seat in his desk chair.

"So you took my advice, Ziver." The Israeli turned to Gibbs, accepting the coffee he set on her desk. She smiled softly at him.

"I did, Gibbs, and we are... working on it." She said, sharing a look with Tim. "_Toda_."

"What does that mean?" The others turned to Mychal, who tilted her head to the side, towards Ziva's voice.

"It is Hebrew, for 'thank you,' Mychal." Ziva replied gently, taking a sip, as Gibbs made his way towards Tim's desk and set a cup down for his junior agent. Mychal instantly reached towards the cup, pulling it towards her and leaning over it, breathing in the strong scent of coffee wafting from the cup. A moment passed, before she sat back and lifted the cup to her lips, when Tim intercepted.

"No, Mycha."

"But _Uncle Tim_-"

"The last thing we need is to get you addicted to caffeine by the time you turn seven!"

"It's just one sip!"

"Coffee isn't that bad a vice, Tim." Gibbs replied; but Tim glared at him, not even aware that his boss hadn't used his surname.

"I said no-" But Gibbs wasn't even listening anymore; he pulled out his cellphone, quickly dialing a number.

"DiNozzo, I need you to make a coffee run on your way here... no, not coffee..." He glanced back at the child on Tim's lap. "Hot chocolate. And tell them to put peppermint in it." Once he'd hung up, he turned back to Tim, in time to hear Mychal ask,

"What language is Tada mean?" Ziva got up, making her way towards Gibbs and Tim, a set of files on Jace McKenna in her hands.

"_Toda_." Ziva corrected, unable to hide the hint of pride at being able to correct someone else for once instead of being the one corrected in her voice. "It is Hebrew. Jewish." She clarified, seeing the confusion on the child's face.

"Are you Jewish?"

"Mychal." Time gently admonished, brushing her bangs off her face and pressing a kiss to her head. But all Ziva did was chuckle softly.

"_Ken_. Yes. I am Jewish. I was born in Be'er Sheva, Israel."

"Oh." Mychal swallowed, her mouth an 'o' of surprise as she drank the information in. "I was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts!" She announced proudly. The adults chuckled softly, as Tony entered carrying a tray of coffees, out of breath and dressed but disheveled. Obviously, he'd been woken up from a sound sleep by Gibbs. He looked from Gibbs to Tim and Ziva and back.

"Here's the-" But he stopped, when he saw the three cups in their hands. "Oh. I thought..." Silent, Gibbs went to his senior agent, dumping his empty cup into the trash can by Tony's desk and selecting the cup Tony held, leaving the other three in the tray for his agents. Then, he grabbed the smaller cup, and returned to Tim's desk, holding the cup in front of Mychal so she could wrap her hands around it.

"Good work, DiNozzo. Ziver, pull up that file on Captain McKenna, let's see if we can draw parallels." Tony watched as the other three got to work, confused.

"Who did I buy the hot chocolate-" Gibbs nodded towards Mychal, who turned towards Tony's voice. A moment passed, before she stammered,

"T... Toe-da, DiNozzo." She smiled, turning back to Tim, who ruffled her dark curls and pressed a kiss to her head, leaving Tony to go to his desk and get working, utterly and completely confused.


	4. Chapter 4

******Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

******Thanks to Reader for reviewing 2 and 3; mcgeeksgirl, Girl with a pink flying carpet, torontogirl12, JonnyP86, puppypants, Sazzita, CrissColfer's Land of Stories, and Sprig for reviewing 3. Your reviews make me smile. :D**

Ziva pulled the information she'd been able to find on the Jace McKenna up on the plasma screen. She glanced back at Tim, watching as Mychal leaned back against him, sipping her hot chocolate.

"Captain Jace McKenna, age twenty-eight. He was born in-"

"Alameda, California, to Emily and Samuel McKenna, and spent the majority of his childhood bouncing from base to base. After graduating high school in ninety-three, he attended the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in ninety-seven, before attending John Hopkins and got a degree in Chemical and bimolecular Engineering." Everyone turned to Tim, who wrapped his arms around Mychal, and pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "After graduating from John Hopkins, he enlisted in the Navy. Met Tina Robertson in ninety-six at a Halloween party, married her a year later, in spring of ninety-seven. Their daughter Mychal, was born April fifteenth, two-thousand. Jace has an extensive family history of the military-"

"Like you, McGee." Gibbs said, turning to his junior agent. Tim nodded.

"Except, unlike me, he actually went_ into_ the military."

"How did you know when Mychal was born, Tim?" Ziva asked, turning to her boyfriend.

"Or any of that, Probie?" Tony asked, the first coherent thing he'd said since entering the bullpen that morning. Tim licked his lips.

"I was... with Tina in the delivery room when Mycha was born. Jace was stationed overseas, and..." He swallowed, blinking tears away as he brushed the child's dark curls off her forehead. He pressed a kiss to her head, and she tilted her head back towards him, grinning. "I was finishing up at MIT by then, and had passed the FLECT; started working at Norfolk not long after. By the time Mycha was learning to walk... Jace and I... we had a falling out, and... and it seemed easier to dive into my work at that time. And then... about..." He sighed, puffing out his cheeks in thought. "three, four years ago, I..." The others listened, watching as Tim struggled to keep from breaking down. Quickly, Ziva got up, going to her boyfriend and squeezing his shoulder in encouragement. He gave her a small smile. "I got a call from Jace, and he... he told me that if anything ever happened to him and Tina, that I was to... to protect and raise Mychal." He swallowed thickly. "Tina was killed in a car crash a few days ago, and..."

The child turned in Tim's lap to face him, tilting her head to the side. "What's wrong, Uncle Tim?" He glanced down at her, giving her a small smile.

"Nothing, Mycha." He lifted her off his lap, setting her on her feet, before getting up. He turned to Gibbs, awaiting orders, but when Gibbs said nothing, he nodded, giving his boss a relieved sigh before turning to his goddaughter and kneeling next to her. "You know, Doctor Mallard has an old-fashioned tea set that he uses. How about I take you down to Autopsy, so we can have tea and crumpets with Ducky and Palmer, huh?"

The child's face brightened. "We can?" He nodded. She turned, hearing Ziva's boots on the soft carpet. "Can Ziva come?" The Israeli stopped, meeting Tim's eyes. Mycha waited, turning back to Tim.

"If she wants too." Ziva gave him a small smile, before replying,

"I would love to, Mychal, but..." She bit her lip. "I... I have some calls to make, so that we can find the people who killed your parents." And without another word, she rushed back to her desk, sliding into her chair and promptly pulling up phone numbers. Tim watched her, saw how nervous she was around the child. Slowly, he stood, taking her hand.

"I'll be right back, Gibbs." He whispered, and their leader nodded, letting him go. The others in the office watched them go, and once gone, Gibbs headed down to Abby's lab.

* * *

"Why didn't you?" Ziva looked up. Tony sat across from her, watching her, studying her, looking for the slightest hint of anything as it crossed her face.

"Why what?" She asked, confusion knitting her brow. Tony shook his head, not believing her innocent act. He'd fallen for it one too many times in the past. She wasn't as innocent as she claimed to be.

"Why didn't you go down to Autopsy with McGee and the kid to have tea with Ducky?" She swallowed, biting her lip. After a moment, she said,

"I do not want tea."

"No, it's something more than that." He replied. She raised an eyebrow, as he got up, moving around his desk and going to hers. He perched on the edge, watching her. "It has to do with the kid, doesn't it? You don't like her."

"I like Mychal, Tony. I think she is a very sweet girl. And Tim... Tim is wonderful with her."

"But you aren't." He held up a hand at her glare. "I think know what the true problem is, Ziva. You're afraid of her." She snorted in derision, not believing what the older agent was saying.

"I am not afraid of her, Tony. She is a _child_; a child who has been through a traumatic experience. A child who has witnessed her father's murder and lost her mother to a car crash. A child who has been left in the care of her godfather, who hasn't seen her in six years, a child who-" He leaned close, meeting her gaze, and with a soft whisper, breathed,

"is blind." She stopped, looking up at him. "Admit it, Ziva. You're afraid. You're scared of Mychal, because she's blind."


	5. Chapter 5

******Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

******A/N: McGee's quote is from _The Wordsworth Dictionary of Quotes_.**

******Thanks to Sprig, Sazzita, mcgeeksgirl, Reader, torontogirl12 and Saissa for reviewing 4.**

_Tony's wrong. You are not afraid of Mychal because she is blind. You are afraid of her because you are not very good with children._

She stepped off the elevator and headed towards the sliding doors and into Autopsy. It was there that she found Ducky sitting on a stool, across from Tim, who had Mychal on his lap, a rolling cart with his tea tray and crumpets on it. Tim wrapped Mycha's hands around the cup, pressing a kiss to her head, as she listened to one of Ducky's stories and giggled. "And then- ah, Ziva, how lovely of you to join us! Please, sit-" Tim and Mychal turned towards her, and Ziva felt herself shrink back, as the child's sightless eyes landed on her.

_You're not afraid of Mychal because she's blind._ No, not at all. That idea's absolutely preposterous.

"Ah... actually, I came to get Tim." She stammered. Her boyfriend glanced at Ducky, before turning back to Mychal. She watched as he got up, setting Mychal back on the stool and whispered something first to the child and then to Ducky, before going to Ziva. Once he got to her, he slipped his hands into his pockets, asking,

"What'd you need?" She swallowed, glancing back at the child, who was enjoying one of Ducky's stories. She peered around him, before nodding towards the doors. He followed, stepping into the elevator once they were outside of Autopsy, hitting the button for the first floor. Once it started moving, Tim hit the switch, casting them into darkness. He turned to her, his green eyes boring into hers. "What is it, Ziva? I know it has nothing to do with the case, otherwise you would have said so. Now what is wrong?"

It irked her that he could read her so well. Like a book. The irony being that he wrote books. Or, well, novels. But still.

She took a deep breath. "I am... worried. About Mychal." He sighed.

"Ziva, we talked about this last night, remember? You are wonderful with kids, you will be wonderful with Mycha!" She bit her lip. "Ziva, she isn't a baby, okay? She's a child-"

"She is blind, Tim. Or have you forgotten that?" He sighed.

"You're still on that? Ziva, Mycha was born blind. She has never had her sight. She doesn't miss it, because she doesn't know what it's like to have it. She's never had false hope to being able to see some day, because she has never seen anything in her short life. She's never seen a rainbow after a summer storm, or... or the lights on a Christmas tree or... or her birthday cake. And she doesn't miss it, because she never had it in the first place, so she doesn't know the pain of losing something she never possessed to begin with. And it doesn't bother her. She gets along just fine. She adapted. And so will we once we've adopted her."

Ziva lifted her head from the cold steel wall she was leaning against. She turned to him. "You still want to go through with the adoption?"

"Of course I want to go through with the adoption! She's my goddaughter! And no matter what issues arose between her father and I, I still made a promise to protect her if anything ever happened to them. And I'm going to keep it." He searched her face for a moment, seeing her emotions clear in her dark eyes. "I thought we agreed, Ziva. We would work on our relationship and getting Mycha settled into her new life. We agreed, Ziva, remember? Or are you backing out?" When she turned her head back to the wall, Tim flicked the elevator back on. As the machine moved back up to the office, and the doors opened, he went to her, whispering softly,

"You know that 'the eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.'"

Then, without another word, he stepped off the elevator, leaving her with her fears and her heartache.

* * *

"Any new developments, Boss?" Tony looked up as Tim strode into the bullpen as though he were Team Leader and not Gibbs. A moment passed, before Ziva followed, slipping into her chair as she quickly swiped at her eyes. He turned to see Tim sliding into his own chair, eyes on his work; he didn't miss the look Ziva threw her boyfriend, and suddenly, began to worry that there was trouble in paradise for his coworkers.

"Not yet, but we'll let you know when we get some, Boss." All three turned to Gibbs, shock on their faces. Tim narrowed his gaze, standing and going to Gibbs.

"Did you just-" Gibbs sat back, his ice blue eyes locking with Tim's bright emeralds.

"What's Rule Thirty-eight, McGee?" He asked. Tim thought a moment, running through the list of rules Gibbs had made sure to drill into their heads from the beginning.

"Your case, your lead." It was then that his silver-haired leader nodded.

"That's your goddaughter, it was her father dumped on our front lawn, therefore, this case is yours, and that means, you take lead. We follow you, Boss." Gibbs replied.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Everyone turned as Ducky entered the bullpen from the opposite side of the building, Mycha holding tight to his hand. Quickly, Tim went to the child, kneeling down to her level.

"Didn't mean to do what, Mycha?" He asked softly. She slowly removed her other hand from her pocket, opening it up. A piece of candy, wrapped in bright, shiny paper sat within her small palm.

"Ducky said I could have a piece of candy, but instead of taking one, I took two. I didn't know I wasn't s'posed to. I'm sorry, Uncle Tim."

Tim let out a laugh of relief, shaking his head. "Oh sweetheart, it's okay."

"But you said-"

"Those rules don't apply to taking candy, Mycha." He replied, reaching up to gently brush away a few stray tears. "They apply to something else. To helping catch who killed Daddy. So you have nothing to worry about, okay?" A moment passed, before she nodded. "Good." He looked up at Ducky. "Thank you, Ducky, for watching her."

"My pleasure, Timothy. Young Mychal is quite the inquisitive child." Tim stood then, scooping the girl into his arms and settling her on his hip. "She is very lucky to have you and Ziva to look out for her." No one missed the glance the couple shared, before Tim turned back to the M.E.

"Yes, well, thank you for looking out for her. And for the advice." He whispered. Then, he took the candy Mycha held out to him, and unwrapped it, telling her softly to open her mouth. The others on the team watched as he gently slipped the hard candy between her lips, wrinkling his nose and nudging his nose against hers playfully, making her giggle before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Ziva took a deep breath, before returning to her work.


	6. Chapter 6

******Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

******Thanks to Saissa, mcgeeksgirl, earthdragon, torontogirl12, Reader and Basketball12 for reviewing 5. **

Mycha's laugh filled the house; she sat on the floor of the living room, playing tug-of-war with Jethro. The dog had adapted to the dog early on, and had become very protective of the blind little girl, as if he sensed she couldn't see him. Tim took a sip of his tea as he poured over the files on Tina and Jace's life. He had even brought out some of the photographs the three of them had taken back when things were good between them, and he and Jace were still speaking.

He looked up at the knock on the door, and quickly got up. Ziva stood on the other side of it, a brown paper bag in her arms. "Chinese okay tonight?" She asked, meeting his gaze. He nodded, stepping aside to let her in. They soon settled down over their case files, eating in silence. But soon, Tim set his carton side, folding his arms on the table.

"Ziva, we need to talk."

"About her." Ziva replied, nodding towards the living room. He nodded, keeping silent. She sighed, setting her own carton aside. "Look, Tim, it's not that I do not love you, I do, but..."

"But with Mychal-" He swallowed and closed his eyes. After a moment, he got up, going to the kitchen counter and leaning against it. "Ziva, I... I know I can't force you into this, and I won't. But you have to understand, Zi-" He took a deep breath, and started again, never turning around. "When I first started at NCIS, one of the first cases I worked involved a Naval Captain's kidnapped wife and daughter. We were able to get the girl out and at NCIS, but we still needed to get the wife out safe." He took a deep breath. "The little girl, Sandy," He licked his lips, turning to Ziva. "She was blind. And she nearly lost her mother. And all I can think about, when I see Mychal, is how lucky Sandy was. She has both her parents, and Mycha's lost both. And all she has is me. I'm the last tie to her parents, Ziva, and I'm not going to lose her. I understand that you don't want anything to do with her, but she's my goddaughter-"

"I never said that I do not want anything to do with her, Tim." Ziva stood, going to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, looking into his eyes. "Losing you would be ripping my heart out and shredding it-"

"And so would mine, were I to lose Mycha. But I can't risk her to keep you, Zi. You can't ask me to choose, because when it comes down to it, I will choose Mychal, because I made a promise to Jace, and I don't go back on my word. I'm sorry. But were it between you and-" He shook his head. "You're either with me, or we part ways now, and resume a professional relationship, and that's it. It's your call, Ziva. Please, don't make me choose."

He pulled away, his eyes lighting on Mychal, hiding behind the doorway.

"Are you going to give me up, Uncle Tim?" He rushed to her, kneeling down and taking her face in his hands.

"Where would you get a crazy idea like that, Mycha?" He asked, searching her face. She sniffled, tears running down her cheeks.

"You said-" He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Mycha, sweetie, you're not going anywhere, okay? I love you, and I made a promise to your daddy, that I would protect you. Understood?" She nodded, burying her face in Tim's shoulder. He looked up as the front door shut softly; tears slid down his cheeks as he realized that Ziva had accepted his choice, but it didn't stop the pain in his heart.

* * *

He looked up at the soft footsteps on the stairs. Ziva stood in front of him, eyes red and filled with tears. Before he'd even set his sanding tools down, Ziva had thrown herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck, sobbing. He only barely had time to regain his balance, before she said,

"It is over, Gibbs. And it is all my fault." He struggled to understand what Ziva meant, but suddenly it clicked and he led her to the bench, sitting her down as he took a seat beside her.

"Start from the beginning, Ziver." He replied. taking her hand.

"I... I went over to... to help Tim go over the case and... and he told me that... that if it came down to it... he would choose Mychal..."

"Ziver, she's his goddaughter..."

"I know. He... he told me that... that he did not want to lose me, and I told him the same, but..."

"But he had to do the right thing for Mychal." She nodded, sobbing. He sighed, eventually pulling away. "Ziva, was it the fact that Mychal was blind that had you scared or the fact that you don't trust yourself around her that made you run?" She looked up at him, confused.

"I... I..."

"Ziver, McGee loves you, and yes, he loves Mychal, but he can't do this without you. Now I don't care what your issues are with that child, but right now, you need to put them aside and be there for Tim, because he needs you. Mychal is only one part of his life. He is still the man you fell in love with, he's still the same McGee you've always known, he just has a child to raise now. You two need to take some time and talk, really talk about where you go from here."

"But he-" Gibbs shook his head.

"You need to understand why McGee is raising Mychal, and he needs to understand your fears."


	7. Chapter 7

******Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

******Thanks to Tiva-McAbby-Densi-Neric-4ever, Saissa, JonnyP86, torontogirl12, Reader and mcgeeksgirl for reviewing 6.**

"Hey McRomeo, where's your Israeli Juliet?" Tony shrunk back at the withering glare Tim shot his way as he headed to his desk, Mycha in tow. "Trouble in paradise? Her family threaten to kill-"

"Must you make a joke of everything, Tony?" He snapped as Ziva entered. She dropped her bag behind his desk, and stopped as she and Tim locked eyes. Before she could stop herself, she was meeting him in the middle of the bullpen.

"Tim, I owe you an apology-"

"You don't owe me an apology, Ziva. You owe me an_ explanation_ as to why you're so terrified of Mychal!"

She winced, but didn't back down. "I am _not terrified_-"

_"Oh really?"_ He shook his head, "I _cannot believe_ you would-" Tony sat back, watching as the two lovers went after one another, each cutting the other off, getting louder and louder until they had the other teams' attention. Eventually, their argument even brought Cynthia and the Director out of their offices. Suddenly, their heads collided as Gibbs came up behind them.

"Work your romance problems out at home, you two. We've got a murder to solve." After a moment, the two parted ways, heading to their desks and getting to work.

* * *

"Timmy? We agreed to meet an hour ago downstairs in the lobby, remember?" The entire team looked up as a young woman with Tim's features and green eyes entered the bullpen, a visitor's pass pinned to her jacket. Tim was on his feet instantly, rushing towards his little sister. Mychal had since gone over to Tony's desk and climbed onto his lap, pulling open the desk drawer and rummaging through it until she found the candy bar Tony had bought from the snack machine in the break room. Without asking if she could have it, she opened it, breaking off a piece of slipping it into her mouth before holding a piece out to Tony, who took it with confusion in his eyes.

"Sarah?" He pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to take you and Ziva out- lunch, remember? We were gonna go meet Penny before she goes off to Thailand. Or did you forget?" She watched as he glanced at Ziva, and then turned back to find Mychal on Tony's lap, enjoying the snack that Tony hadn't managed to hide well from the child. "Tim, we've had this planned for the last four weeks-"

"Sarah, something's come up." He licked his lips, and then pulled his sister out of the bullpen, going to the elevator and leading her in. Once the doors closed and they started moving down, Tim hit the switch.

"Tim, what's going on? You're being secretive with me, and you're never secretive." He sighed, turning to her.

"Sar, do you remember Jace McKenna?" She thought a moment, running through the list of people they knew.

"Vaguely." He took a deep breath.

"We grew up together; lived just a couple houses down from each other on the base, remember? He was my best friend. I introduced Tina to him, at that Halloween party in ninety-six."

"I remember Tina. Kind of medium height, long dark hair, blue eyes?" He nodded. "Yeah, I remember her."

"I stood at their wedding with them. You were a bridesmaid?" Suddenly, it clicked. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, now I remember! Jace was the kid you ran around with when we were in-"

"California, yeah. But, listen. A few days ago, Tina was killed in a car crash, and Jace... Jace's body was dumped on the front lawn of NCIS. They had a daughter, Mychal. She's my goddaughter, Sarah, and Jace asked me before he died to protect her and raise her-" But Sarah stopped him, instead wrapping her arms around him in a hug and laying her head on his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Timmy. I had no idea-" She lifted her head, looking up at him. "So that little girl I saw-"

"That's Jace and Tina's daughter, Mychal. She's blind."

"Tim... how... how are you going to raise a blind child-" He flipped the switch, stepping out of the elevator and going to his desk when it returned to the floor, Sarah followed.

"I will figure it out, Sarah. Okay? I will find some way to raise Mychal, because Jace asked me too, and the last thing I am going to do is go back on my word. No matter what kind of fallout we had, he is still my best friend, and that child is my goddaughter, and I'm going to do right by her-"

"I know, Timmy. I'm sorry." She whispered, reaching up and taking her brother's face in her hands. "It's just... just a shock. I come here to get you and Ziva for lunch, and I find a little girl that you're going to be raising-" She stopped. "Wait, did you say _'I_ will figure', Tim? What about Ziva-" But he grabbed his jacket, meeting Ziva's gaze across the bullpen.

"Let's not discuss it here, Sarah, okay?" He turned to Gibbs. "I've got a lead I'm going to follow up. I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned back to Sarah. "Tell Penny I'm sorry, but I'll make it up to her over dinner tonight okay? At my place?" Sarah nodded. He pressed a kiss to his sister's forehead. "Thanks." Then, without a word, he rushed towards the elevator. Sarah's gaze went from Ziva to Tony and back, before she stepped closer to the older woman.

"Ziva, are you okay?" The Israeli looked up, meeting Sarah's gaze. She sniffled. The younger woman glanced at Gibbs, before pulling her phone out and quickly texting Penny. Once done, she went to Gibbs. "Um, Agent Gibbs-" The silver-haired man looked up at her and she swallowed. "I... I was wondering... um..." But he surprised her by jerking his head back towards the break room. She gave him a relieved smile before going to Ziva and pulling her from her chair. "Come on, we need to talk. You need to tell me what my idiot brother's done now..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Reader, torontogirl12, Guest and McTivaRusher for reviewing 7.**

Sarah sat back, sipping her coffee, watching as Ziva swiped at her eyes from across the table in the break room. She'd listened to both sides of the story, and now, set her cup down, leaning across from the woman she hoped would someday become her sister-in-law. "Ziva, can I be-"

"Prank?" Ziva suggested, sniffling. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Frank." Ziva nodded, silently filing it away for later. When the older woman didn't reply, Sarah continued. "I think, Ziva, that you and Tim..." She bit her lip. "You're both acting like idiots, honestly. You're going at each others' throats, when you should be solving Jace and Tina McKenna's murders and taking care of that little girl." Ziva sniffled.

"I hate the McGee honesty." She whispered, staring into her coffee. Sarah chuckled.

"Yeah, it can get pretty annoying. But then again, it can be useful. When it comes to Timmy and I... we tell each other pretty much everything; we kind of stopped telling our parents everything not long after Timmy turned ten. That ended up being for the better." She sighed, running her finger over the rim of her cup. "Anyway, back to you and... the girl. Why are you afraid of her?"

Ziva took a deep breath. "When I was a girl... my family lived in an apartment in Tel Aviv. There was a girl that lived two doors down from us; Varda, was her family's only child. She was one of my best friends. We did everything together. But... when we turned ten, Varda lost her sight. We had been playing outside on the street, there were riots, to protest the drone strikes, and someone fired a gun. My older brother was with us, and he managed to push me to the ground, but Varda..." She swallowed, sniffling.

"Take your time, Ziva."

"Varda was hit. The bullet pierce the occipital lobe of her brain, and... went straight through the portion that controls eyesight." Sarah listened, tears slipping down her cheeks. "They could not save her sight. Her parents blamed me, and they moved not long after she came home from the hospital..." Ziva took a deep, shaky breath, choking on a sob. She met Sarah's gaze. _"And they were right. It was my fault. I cost Varda her sight..."_

Before she could think of anything to say, Sarah got up, going to Ziva and wrapping her in a hug. "You didn't, Ziva. It was an accident, it wasn't your fault-"

"I cannot be around Mychal, because whenever _I see her, I see Varda, and how I..."_ She broke down completely then, clinging to the younger McGee, face buried in Sarah's dark curls. The younger woman held her close, glancing up, to see Tim standing in the break room doorway, watching them.

* * *

"Where's Tim?" Gibbs looked up as Sarah brought Ziva back into the bullpen.

"Hi!" Mycha turned towards the new voice. She was still perched on Tony's lap, playing with the sharpies he had in his desk. Tony, unable to get up and forced to relay the information he'd found from his desk, was getting exceedingly uncomfortable, every time the child turned to face him, marker in hand. He'd had to shield his face from her eager drawing skills more than once. Sarah gave the girl a small smile; she loved kids, and every chance she got, babysat for friends or families that she lived in the same apartment complex with.

"Hi, you must be Mychal." She said, going to the child and leaning over the desk. It was then that Sarah saw that the child was indeed blind, and her heart tugged. She remembered Jace McKenna- the smart-talking, funny, adventurous boy with the brown jacket and messy hair. The child tilted her head towards Sarah's voice, brow furrowed. "I'm Tim's sister, Sarah."

The child reached out, taking her hand. "You know Uncle Tim?" Sarah nodded.

"Yep. He's my big brother." Mycha's mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise, and she set the markers down, climbing off Tony's lap. Ziva had since taken a seat at her desk, watching as the child rushed to Sarah and threw her arms around the younger woman's waist. By then, Tim had returned, information in hand.

"Boss, I-" He turned to glance at Tony, only to stop at the sight of black, red and blue marker on the senior agent's face. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"What're you looking at, McStare? Something funny?" A moment passed, before Tim shook his head and turned, going to Gibbs and handing him the information. I went to Bethesda and asked for information on Tina McKenna- turns out, the accident wasn't an accident, it was deliberate. The attending doctor said that Tina was brought in with a severe skull fracture-"

"That's not uncommon with car accidents, Timmy." Sarah said, scooping Mychal up. Tim turned to his sister.

"No, I know it's not Sarah." He said, going to her and taking Mychal from her. "But the bullet wound in the back of her skull _isn't_ common with car accidents."

"So... so you think that Tina-"

"Was murdered." Tim whispered, pressing a kiss to the child's temple. They all turned when Gibbs got up. "Boss, where are you-"

"Be right back." They all watched as he headed down towards Autopsy, before Tim turned back to Tony. Sarah burst out laughing. Tony glared at her.

"What's so funny, McMini?" He asked, getting up. Sarah shook her head, raising her hands.

"Have you seen your_ face_, Agent DiNozzo?" This sent Tony up and racing for the bathroom, and even had Ziva smiling. Once he was gone, Tim turned to the Israeli. "Timmy, you and Ziva have to talk. You have to understand why she's so-" She nodded towards Mychal. "Go. I'll watch Mychal. But you two need to talk before you both do something you're going to regret. Reluctantly, Tim handed Mychal over to Sarah, before going to nodding towards the elevator. Sighing, Ziva followed, glancing at Sarah, who gave her a big smile and a thumbs up.


End file.
